Improvement in cotton-presses



.UNITED STATES' DAVID 1I. wooLDRIDeE, oF HUMBOLDT, TENNESSEE.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-PRESSES.

Specication forming pazrt of Letters Patent No. 139,845, dated June 10, 1873; application led March 3, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID H. WOOL- DRlDGE, of Humboldt, in the county of Gib- Ason and State of Tennessee, have invented construction and arrangement of a cottonpress, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in Which- Figure l is a plan view and Fig. 2, avertical section of my cotton-press.

A represents the bale-box, which is provided with three followers B and C C; the follower B coming down from the top, and the followers C G moving inward-one from each end. The front side of the bale-box forms a door, D, hinged at its upper edge and opening outward to remove the bale after it is packed. This door is held close while pressing by means of upright` bars a and hooks b, as shown in the drawing. The top follower B has a rod or stem, B', which is placed with its upper end in a recess on the under side at the front end of a lever, E, and connected with the same by any suitable flexible connection so that it can move back and forth in said recess. The lever E is pivotedbetween suitable standards H H, and in its rear end is pivoted an arm, I, having at its lower enda grooved roller or wheel, d, to move on a horizontal beam, J, which forms a guide for the same. Each follower C is provided with a rod or stem, C', the outer end of p G is a pivoted arm, I, with roller or wheel Lto` move on the side of the guide-beamJ. When the bale-box A is to be filled with loosecotton all the arms I I are thrown forward on the t guide-beam J, so that the end' followers O (l will be iiush with the ends of the box, and the top follower B is lifted out of the box. After the cotton is placed in the box the top 'follower y B is returnedin its place and forced down by simply pulling, by horse or other power, on a Y l rope, h, passing around the roller of the arm connected with the lever E, so as to throw` said arm toward the rear,.the roller moving on the top of the beam J. When the follower p B has been brought down suciently far the end followers O C are forced inward in preoisely the samemanuer, the arms of their levers being also moved toward the rear by ropes passing around their rollers, andsaid rollers moving upon the sides of the beam J.

Having thus fully describedmy invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, s` The bale-box A, provided with followers B and C C and door D, in combination with the levers E and G G, with their "arms I and` rollers d, and the guide-beam J, all `constructed and arranged, substantially .as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I affix my `signature in presence of t two witnesses. Y

DAVID EINES WOOLDRIDGE. Witnesses:

P. F. CLAY, A. J. CLAY. 

